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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 14,
2007
No. 07-195
POWER OUTAGES AT 73,000; STATE PREPARES FOR NEW WINTER STORM
More than 73,000 customers in Kansas remain without power (Westar at
38,000, Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives at 35,000) as another winter
storm is moving into the state bringing potential snow accumulations of
six inches or more. This could result in dangerous travel, more power
outages, or slower progress in power restoration.
Slick roads/Hotel shortage
Snow moved into portions of the state this morning leaving parts of southwest
and northwest Kansas with snow packed and icy roadways. Hotels are filling
up quickly along I-70 between Topeka and Hays as many people in the region
remain out of power.
Power restoration underway; isolated thefts; injuries from power lines
Power companies are receiving help from crews in other states to replace
lines and power poles. One power company reported isolated thefts of copper
occurring to an out of state company here assisting Kansas in the restoration
process. If individuals see suspicious activity, please report it to local
law enforcement.
Power companies also caution Kansans to be extremely careful not to come
in contact with downed power lines. Two of three individuals who have
done so have been taken to a hospital for treatment as a result.
Many shelters in use
More than 2,300 Kansans are taking shelter at one of the more than 60
shelters provided by the American Red Cross and other community organizations
around the state. The Kansas National Guard opened two armories as shelters
to support local communities: Clay Center and Hiawatha. An updated list
of shelters is available at the end of the news release.*
FEMA provides help
FEMA has provided Kansas with more than 900 cots and 13,500 bottles of
water to support shelters as needed. In addition, the state has received
50 generators from FEMA to go to critical needs facilities such as hospitals,
nursing homes, shelters and community water/sewer systems. The Kansas
National Guard is delivering its own generators as well as the FEMA generators
to many critical needs locations around the state.
FEMA’s generators and the Kansas National Guard’s generators
are only available to critical needs facilities such as hospitals, shelters,
nursing homes, and water and sewer systems. The state does not have the
resources to deliver generators to individuals. Individuals needing a
generator must contact retail outlets to purchase one or should seek shelter
at a local shelter. (See shelter list below). At this time, the state
has not received approval for assistance to individuals affected by this
storm; however, as preliminary damage assessments are compiled, it is
possible this will change.
Recent Kansas National Guard missions include:
- Opening of the Clay Center and Hiawatha armories as shelters
- Delivery of a 35kW generator to the town of Preston in Pratt County
to provide power for two water tower pumps – 137th Transportation
Company
- Inventory Management of FEMA cots and generators – 190th Air
Refueling Wing
- Transportation of 100 FEMA cots from a staging area at Forbes Field,
Topeka to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in Holton to
be used in a community shelter — 190th Air Refueling Wing
- Transportation of 100 FEMA cots to shelter in Highland, Doniphan County
– 190th Air Refueling Wing
- Forty FEMA cots are being transported from Topeka to the Community
Center in Denison in Jackson County — 190th Air Refueling Wing
- Transportation of 200 FEMA cots to three shelters in Reno Co. –
190th Air Refueling Wing
- Delivery of a 30kW generator to Rural Water District #2 in Saline
County — 137th Transportation Company
- 140kW and 175kW generators are being transported to the Onaga Hospital,
Pottawatomie County — 137th Transportation Company
- Delivery of a 20kW generator for a well water pump and a 20kW generator
to a rural water district in Talmage, Dickinson County — 137th
Transportation Company
- Delivery of a 60kW generator to a health clinic in Columbus to handle
overflow from hospital — 137th Transportation Company
- Transportation of 5kW generator to the city of Wells, Cloud County
— 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery
- Delivery of 60kW generator to a water pump station in Greensburg,
Kiowa County — 137th Transportation Company.
- Delivery of 75kW generator to Valley Healthcare Nursing Home and a
75kW generator to HUD housing for special needs population, Valley Falls,
Jefferson County — 137th Transportation Company
- Delivery of 8kW generator to a shelter in Effingham, Atchison County
— 137th Transportation Company
Previous National Guard missions:
Security/debris clearing
- The 891st Engineering Battalion, headquartered in Iola, sent Guardsmen
and vehicles to Cherokee County to assist local authorities with security
needs. The 891st is also conducting health and welfare checks in the
Baxter Springs area in Cherokee County.
- The 891st is clearing debris from roadways in Cherokee County. The
battalion has been working for two days in Labette County to clear debris
from highways.
- The 190th Air Refueling Wing in Topeka is clearing debris from the
roadways in Holton.
Generators/cots
- The 891st Engineering Battalion provided a 5 kW generator to the town
of Scammon in Cherokee County and 60 cots to the Central School shelter
in Columbus, also in Cherokee County.
- The 190th ARW delivered one of its own 100 kW generators to the Fulton
Family Health Clinic in Holton which is serving as a shelter. The wing
delivered 50 cots to shelters in the Holton community and also supplied
a heat cart and 10 four-foot light sections to Abilene for shelter.
- The 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry transported Salvation Army 100 cots
from Kansas City, Mo., to the Westmoreland Fire Department in Pottawatomie
County.
- The 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery provided a 10 Kw generator
to a shelter in Morrill in Brown County. The 169th Corps Support Sustainment
Battalion supplied cots and blankets for a shelter and a 100 kW generator
to the Onaga Community Hospital in Pottawatomie County.
- The 137th Transportation Company out of Olathe and Topeka transported
FEMA generators to a shelter in Turon at 501 E. Price, a shelter in
Arlington at 116 E. Main Street, a water supply at a mobile home park
in Coldwater at 408 N. Central, a water supply for a mobile home park
in Manhattan at 6215 Tuttle Creek Blvd, a relief center (shelter) in
Oskaloosa at Living Wellness Church, 13960 K92 Hwy, and to a city water
supply in Hiawatha and a water treatment system in Muscotah. In addition,
a FEMA generator was taken to Ellsworth County to the Rural Water District
at Post Rock, and a FEMA generator was transported to Ottawa County’s
Rural Water District # 2 water plant. The 169th Corps Support Sustainment
Battalion provided command and control for the delivery of the FEMA
generators.
- The 184th Intelligence Wing in Wichita supplied generators to several
locations including two nursing homes without power in Seneca in Nemaha
County: Crestview Manor Nursing Home and one to Life Care Center of
Seneca. These two generators were later transported to an Assisted Living
Center at 913 Dakota in Sabetha, and to the Goff Community Center in
Goff, Kan.
- The 184th transported two generators in southeast Kansas to reestablish
power to sewer and water treatment systems. One generator was set up
in Chetopa to restore power to the sewer lift station. Another generator
was set up in Baxter Springs in Cherokee County at the Rural Water District
# 3 to restore power to the water treatment plant.
*Open Shelters (As Reported to State Emergency Operations Center):
- Atchison County: First Baptist Church, Atchison; Effingham
Union Church, Atchison; Lancaster City Hall, Lancaster
- Barton County: Life-Giving Center, 2100 Broadway in Great Bend;
Claflin Fire Department, 309 W Front Street
- Brown County: Everest Community Center, Everest; Horton City
Hall, Horton; Kickapoo Entertainment Center, Horton; Morrill Community
Building, Morrill; Kansas National Guard armory, Hiawatha
- Cherokee County: Baxter Springs Community Center; Central Junior
High School, Columbus; Galena Community Center, Galena; Friends Church,
Riverton
- Clay County: Kansas National Guard armory, Clay Center
- Dickinson County: Herington Community Building, Herington;
Sterl Hall, 619 N Rogers, Abilene
- Doniphan County: Highland City Hall, Highland; Troy Community
Building, Troy; Edwards County: Edwards County Health Department, Kinsley;
Ellsworth County: Methodist Church, Wilson
- Geary County: City Building, Milford; Spin City Skating Center,
915 S Washington (warming site only)
- Jackson County: Senior Citizens Center, Holton; Omega Family
Clinic, Holton; Prairie Band Pottawatomie Casino Hotel
- Jefferson County: Meridan Fire Station; Oskaloosa Eagles Lodge;
McLouth Fire Station; Living Water Church, Oskaloosa; Ozawkie City Hall;
Valley Falls Fire Station; St. Matthews Lutheran Church, Nortonville;
Winchester Community Building, Winchester; Labette County: Senior Citizens
Center, Chetopa
- Leavenworth County: Fire Station # 1, Leavenworth; Leavenworth
County Community Center
- Lincoln County: Lincoln High School, Lincoln
- Lyon County: Flint Hills Church, Emporia
- Marion County: Lincolnville Community Building, Lincolnville
- Marshall County: St. Gregory’s School, Marysville; Blue
Valley Nursing Home, Blue Rapids
- McPherson County:McPherson American Red Cross 1023 S. Main,
McPherson; Soderstrom Elementary School, 227 N. Washington, Lindsborg;
Trinity Lutheran Church, 119 N Elm, McPherson
- Morris County: Council Grove County Courthouse
- Nemaha County: Seneca Community Building; East Ridge Care Home,
Centralia; American Legion, Wetmore; Sabetha City Hall
- Pawnee County: Larned Community Center, Larned
- Pottawatomie County: SRS Office, Onaga (Warming only); Onaga
Senior Center; Olsburg Fire Department (Warming only); American Legion,
Olsburg; Westmoreland Care Home; Wamego Senior Center (Warming only)
- Pratt County: Pratt County to the Cannonball Trail Red Cross
at 114 N. Main, Pratt
- Reno County: Trinity United Methodist Church, Hutchinson; Horizons
Mental Health Center – Special Needs; Turon Community Building,
Turon; Salvation Army, 700 N Walnut, Hutchinson (Warming site only)
- Rice County: Celebration Center, Lyons
- Riley County: First United Methodist Church, Manhattan; Pottorf
Hall at CICO Park, Manhattan; Fairfield Junior/Senior High School, Langdon;
Randolph City Hall – (warming site only) ; Blue Valley High School
– (warming site only); Riley County High School – (warming
site only); KSU Student Union, Manhattan – (warming site only)
- Saline County: Webster Conference Center, I-70 and Ohio, Salina
- Shawnee County: Kansas Expocentre, 17th and Topeka Boulevard,
Topeka
- Stafford County: First Christian Church, Stafford; IOOF Building,
Stafford ; St. John
- Wabaunsee County: County Courthouse, Alma; Alta Vista; Eskridge
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